Transient overvoltage protection device

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, an overvoltage protection device may include a semiconductor substrate comprising an n-type body region. The overvoltage protection device may further include a first p-type region disposed in a first surface region of the semiconductor substrate, and forming a first P/N junction with the n-type body region, and a second p-type region disposed in a second surface region of the semiconductor substrate opposite the first surface, and forming a second P/N junction with the n-type body region, wherein the n-type body region, first p-type region, and second p-type region form a breakdown device having a breakdown voltage greater than 100 V when an external voltage is applied between the first surface region and second surface region.

BACKGROUND

Field

Embodiments relate to the field of circuit protection devices, and moreparticularly to a semiconductor devices for protection against transientovervoltage.

Discussion of Related Art

Semiconductor devices are widely used to provide protection againsttransient conditions, such as transient overvoltage events by takingadvantage of the properties of P/N junctions. In a P/N junction aninterface is formed between a region of the semiconductor device havinga first conductivity type (P or N) and a second region having a secondconductivity type opposite the first conductivity type (N or P). To formsome conventional transient protection devices, a semiconductorsubstrate having a conductivity of a first type is exposed toimplantation, diffusion, or deposition of species of a second type,including epitaxial growth of a layer having species of the second type.After the species of the second type is provided, annealing may beperformed to diffuse and activate the species of second conductivitytype. In this manner a Zener diode or avalanche breakdown diode may beformed for limiting voltage to levels of several volts to severalhundred volts.

One disadvantage of using a single PN junction diode is that seriesresistance within the diode increases the voltage drop across the diodeduring high current transients. This increases the voltage windowbetween the non-conducting voltage and high current clamping voltage andtherefore limits the maximum operating voltage of the protected circuit.In applications such as switching inverters, it may be useful to operatethe circuit at the highest possible switching voltage for highestefficiency. A wide protection voltage window may compromise theefficiency of the switching inverter.

In some instances an avalanche voltage temperature coefficient is in therange of 0.1% per degree Celsius for a silicon PN diode. Internalheating of the PN junction occurs during a current transient and thisheating causes and increase in the avalanche voltage. A protectionvoltage window may accordingly be increased to include the effects oftemperature rise during operation.

In some applications, it may be useful to protect AC voltages. In thesecircumstances, a pair of PN diodes may be connected back-to-back inseries to provide protection for two opposite voltage polarities. Inthis situation, the sum of the series resistance from the forwardconducting diode and the avalanching diode again increases theprotection voltage window.

In an attempt to reduce the series resistance of the protection diode,the device may be fabricated on an epitaxial layer of silicon grown on alow resistivity substrate. The PN junction may be formed in theepitaxial layer by similar methods described for the non-epitaxialdiode. Notably, the problem of the finite temperature coefficient ofavalanche voltage that expresses the change in avalanche voltage withchange in temperature remains.

In other work an NPN device structure has been fabricated by forming ann-region on opposite sides of a p-doped semiconductor die. Known methodsfor forming overvoltage protection devices in semiconductors are capableof generating single devices having breakdown voltage values in therange 15-30V, with possibilities to extend breakdown voltage to 40 V.This structure also behaves like a transistor in the avalanche mode.Electrons injected into the P-type base region from the N-type emitterdiffuse across the P-type base and reach the avalanche region at thecollector. These additional charge carriers reduce the avalanche voltageof the collector junction to give the known foldback BVceo (breakdownvoltage, collector-emitter, base open) characteristic of a transistor.This effect is used to advantage in the 15-30V avalanche voltage rangeto compensate for the voltage increase due to series resistance. Thegain of a transistor depends on the doping of the base region, and thegain increases as the doping is reduced. If the transistor gain is toohigh then, BVceo can reduce to lower than the stand-off voltage of theprotection diode. In practice, this consideration means the maximumvoltage of the protection diode is limited to about 30V. In view of theabove, it may be useful to provide overvoltage protection for highervoltage levels. It is with respect to these and other issues the presentimprovements may be desirable.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, an overvoltage protection device may include asemiconductor substrate comprising an n-type body region. Theovervoltage protection device may further include a first p-type regiondisposed in a first surface region of the semiconductor substrate, andforming a first P/N junction with the n-type body region, and a secondp-type region disposed in a second surface region of the semiconductorsubstrate opposite the first surface, and forming a second P/N junctionwith the n-type body region, wherein the n-type body region, firstp-type region, and second p-type region form a breakdown device having abreakdown voltage greater than 100 V when an external voltage is appliedbetween the first surface region and second surface region.

In another embodiment, a method of fabricating a semiconductor devicemay include providing an n-type semiconductor substrate, forming a firstp-type region in a first surface region of the semiconductor substrate,the first p-type region forming a first P/N junction with the bodyregion, and forming a second p-type region in a second surface region ofthe semiconductor substrate opposite the first surface, the second firstp-type region forming a second P/N junction with the body region,wherein the n-type semiconductor substrate forms an n-type body regiondisposed between the first p-type region and second p-type body region,wherein the forming the first p-type region and forming the secondp-type region comprise driving a p-type dopant into the first p-typeregion and second p-type region in a plurality of drive-in operations,and wherein the n-type body region, first p-type region, and secondp-type region form a breakdown device having a breakdown voltage greaterthan 100V when an external voltage is applied between the first surfaceregion and second surface region.

In an additional embodiment, an overvoltage protection device mayinclude a plurality of semiconductor die and at least one electricalconnection between a first semiconductor die and second semiconductordie, wherein the plurality of semiconductor die are connected inelectrical series. At least one semiconductor die of the plurality ofsemiconductor die may include a first p-type region disposed on a firstsurface of the semiconductor substrate, and forming a first P/N junctionwith the body region; and a second p-type region disposed on a secondsurface of the semiconductor substrate opposite the first surface, andforming a second P/N junction with the body region, wherein the n-typebody region, first p-type region, and second p-type region form abreakdown device having a breakdown voltage greater than 100V when anexternal voltage is applied between the first surface region and secondsurface region, and wherein the overvoltage protection device has abreakdown voltage greater than 200V.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A presents a side cross-sectional view of an overvoltageprotection device according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 1B presents a side cross-sectional view of a further overvoltageprotection device according to embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 presents a side cross-sectional view of another overvoltageprotection device according to other embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3A depicts an exemplary dopant profile of an overvoltage protectiondevice according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3B depicts another exemplary dopant profile of an overvoltageprotection device according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3C depicts a further exemplary dopant profile of an overvoltageprotection device according to various embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4A depicts an exemplary current-voltage curve exhibited by anovervoltage protection device according to an embodiment of thedisclosure;

FIG. 4B depicts further exemplary current-voltage curves;

FIG. 5 presents an exemplary process flow; and

FIG. 6 presents another exemplary process flow.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which variousembodiments are shown. The embodiments may be embodied in many differentforms and are not to be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosurewill be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of theembodiments to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbersrefer to like elements throughout.

In the following description and/or claims, the terms “on,” “overlying,”“disposed on” and “over” may be used in the following description andclaims. “On,” “overlying,” “disposed on” and “over” may be used toindicate when two or more elements are in direct physical contact withone another. The terms “on,”, “overlying,” “disposed on,” and over, mayalso mean when two or more elements are not in direct contact with oneanother. For example, “over” may mean when one element is above anotherelement and not in contact with another element, and may have anotherelement or elements in between the two elements. Furthermore, the term“and/or” may mean “and”, it may mean “or”, it may mean “exclusive-or”,may mean “one”, may mean “some, not all”, may mean “neither”, and/or itmay mean “both.” The scope of claimed subject matter is not limited inthis respect.

The present embodiments are generally related to transient protectiondevices formed within a semiconductor substrate such as silicon. Variousembodiments involve a three layer device structure and method of formingthe device structure. A three layer device may be formed by providing asemiconductor substrate that is doped using a first dopant type. Asecond dopant type may be introduced into opposite sides of thesemiconductor substrate to form a PNP or NPN device structure that ismade of three semiconductor layers. The three layers effectivelyconstitute a very wide base transistor (or triode) having a collectorand emitter formed from diffused regions onto opposite sides of the bodyof the substrate, which renders the device bi-directional. Accordingly,by interchanging the bias on the collector/emitter electrodes anavalanche breakdown may be produced in opposite P/N junctions for eitherbias condition. Asymmetric breakdown voltage can also be produced. The‘body’ of such a three layer (transistor) in the absence of effect ofexternal current has an avalanche breakdown that is modified by gain asthe current through the structure. As the gain changes with respect tocurrent so does the breakdown voltage.

In particular embodiments, a high breakdown voltage device is providedby forming p-type dopant regions on opposite sides of a semiconductorwafer or semiconductor die. In some embodiments, a first p-type regionand second p-type region are formed on the opposite sides of an n-typemonocrystalline silicon substrate. In various embodiments, the n-typedopant concentration of n-dopant in the monocrystalline substrate may bebetween 1E13/cm³ to 1E16/cm³. In some embodiments, at least one p-typeregion, or the two p-type regions may be doped at a concentration levelsof 1E18/cm³ to 1E21/cm³. In some embodiments, the thickness of thep-type regions may vary between 5 μm to 30 μm.

As detailed below, by careful control of the doping process, a threelayer device may be generated that exhibits a high breakdown voltage(V_(B)), such as 100 V or greater within just one semiconductor die.This level of breakdown voltage is not realized by the aforementionedconventional devices. As a result, the present embodiments providevarious advantages over known devices and processes. For one, asingle-die device may be fabricated for protecting components orcircuits where operating voltage is in excess of 100 V. For another, insome embodiments single-die devices may be electrically coupled inseries with one another to generate an overprotection device having abreakdown voltage in excess of 1000 V. In this manner, electricalcomponents, circuits, or systems where operating voltage exceeds 1000 Vmay be protected. In additional embodiments, as discussed below,fabrication of a three layer device may be tailored to provide a targetamount of voltage foldback.

FIG. 1A depicts a device 100 according to embodiments of the disclosure.In some implementations the device 100 may function as an overvoltageprotection device, such as a transient voltage suppression (TVS) device,arranged to protect an external component, including an electricaldevice, electrical circuit, group of devices, or electrical system. Thedevice 100 may be formed from a monocrystalline semiconductor materialsuch as monocrystalline silicon. The device 100 may be formed from asemiconductor substrate 112 that includes a body region 102, where thebody region 102 is formed by doping the semiconductor substrate 112. Insome embodiments, the semiconductor substrate 112 may be uniformly dopedwith a given dopant that forms the body region 102, meaning the dopantlevel of the given dopant between surface 120 and surface 122 (along theZ-direction of the Cartesian coordinate system shown) is uniform. Insome embodiments, the body region 102 may be n-doped having aconcentration of n-type dopants between 1E13/cm³ to 1E16/cm³. Inparticular embodiments, the dopant concentration in the body region 102may be tailored to generate a resistance in the range of 1 Ohm-cm to 5Ohm-cm, corresponding to an n-type dopant level of 1E16/cm³ to1/E14/cm³, for example. The embodiments are not limited in this context.In particular embodiments, the body region may be doped usingphosphorous. An exemplary range for the thickness t of device 100between surface 120 and surface 122 may be 200 μm to 1 mm. Theembodiments are not limited in this context.

As further shown in FIG. 1A, the device 100 includes a first dopedregion 104 disposed adjacent the surface 120 and a second doped region106 disposed adjacent the surface 122. The first doped region 104 andsecond doped region 106 may constitute first p-type region and a secondp-type region in embodiments in which the body region is n-doped. Invarious embodiments, the thickness H1 of the first doped region 104 andthickness H2 of second doped region 106 may individually be within therange of 10 μm to 30 μm. Accordingly, the collective thickness of thetwo doped regions may be a small fraction of the thickness of the device100, and may be a small fraction of the width W of the body region 102between the first doped region 104 and second doped region 106. Inaccordance with some embodiments, the first doped region 104 and seconddoped region 106 may comprise boron-doped regions having an activedopant concentration (the term “dopant concentration” may mean “activedopant concentration” unless otherwise noted herein) of between 1E18/cm³and 1E21/cm³. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

In accordance with various embodiments, the first doped region 104 andsecond doped region 106 may be formed by a plurality of drive-inoperations. In conjunction with a given drive-in operation, a dopant maybe introduced to the semiconductor substrate 112 or near the surface 120or surface 122. The dopant may be introduced by exposure to an ambientcontaining the dopant as a vapor, by deposition of a layer containingthe dopant, by ion implantation of ions containing the dopant, or anycombination of the above. The semiconductor substrate 112 may be heatedduring exposure to the ambient containing the dopant. In particularembodiments, deposition of the dopant may take place by heating amaterial such as a boron-containing material, or boron source, in afurnace or other heater. In various embodiments, the boron source may bea solid source, a liquid source, or a vapor source. When heated, boronmay evaporate from the boron-containing solid material or liquidmaterial, and may condense on the semiconductor substrate 112. In someembodiments, the boron source may be provided as a liquid or vaporsource that does not require heating. In particular embodiments, BBr₃may serve as a boron source. The dose of boron received from a boronsource and the substrate temperature of semiconductor substrate 112 maybe tailored to deposit a predetermined amount of boron having an initialdopant profile on the semiconductor substrate 112. The predeterminedamount of boron may then be diffused into the semiconductor substrate112 in a subsequent drive-in operation to establish a target dopantprofile according to target device properties.

In various embodiments, a drive in operation may be performed by placingthe semiconductor substrate 112 into a furnace or other apparatus afterdeposition of a boron material at the surface 120, surface 122, or thetwo surface. The semiconductor substrate 112 may then be heated to atarget temperature for a target duration. The present inventors havediscovered novel combinations of deposition and drive in operations togenerate high breakdown voltage in a three layer device such as thedevice 100, where semiconductor a three layer device may be V_(B) may be100 V or greater.

In various embodiments, at least one drive-in operation is conducted byheating a furnace to a temperature between 1300° C. and 1350° C. for aduration of between five hours and thirty hours. This drive in operationmay be performed in conjunction with at least one additional drive inoperation, to result in a final doped region, as exemplified by thefirst doped region 104 and second doped region 106. In some instancesthe surface 120 and surface 122 of the semiconductor substrate 112 maybe patterned with at least one mask structure, shown as mask structure110. The mask structure 110 may be an oxide that is patterned so as toform a window or windows effective to provide exposed regions of thesemiconductor substrate 112 for introducing dopants.

The above processes may be designed to generate a resultant structure inthe device 100 tailored to provide a target set of properties, such as atarget breakdown voltage V_(B), and a target residual voltage V_(M)characteristic of the device 100 at high current levels after breakdown,as described below. For example, for protection of a circuit 130designed to operate at a range between 200V to 300V, the device 100 maybe designed with a V_(B) of 350V and a V_(M) of 250V. The exact value ofV_(B) may be controlled by controlling the drive-in operation conditionsdiscussed above. In turn, the control of the drive-in operationconditions may control the doping of the substrate 112, and result in atarget doping profile of the first doped region 104 and second dopedregion 106.

In operation, a voltage transient may be experienced that is conductedbetween a first contact and second contact on opposite sides of thedevice 100, shown as the contacts 108. When a voltage transient isexperienced across the device 100, the voltage V may bias the P/Njunction 124 in a forward direction in one instance. The P/N junction126 may then be biased in the reverse direction. When the level of thevoltage transient exceeds V_(B) the P/N junction 126 may breakdown. Inexemplary embodiments the device 100 may exhibit voltage foldback wherethe voltage decreases with increased current after voltage breakdownoccurs. The level of voltage foldback may be designed to reduce voltagefrom the peak or breakdown voltage, to a target residual voltage V_(M)that may lie within an operating voltage of a circuit, device or systemto be protected. The shape of a current-voltage characteristic in afoldback region may also by adjusted as described below.

In various embodiments, the dopant concentration at a P/N junction 124between the body region 102 and the first doped region 104, or at a P/Njunction 126 between the body region 102 and second doped region 106,may range between 1E14/cm³ and 1E18/cm³. In addition, in order to ensureproper high voltage breakdown, the surface dopant concentration may beset so as to prevent the depletion region (not shown) near the P/Njunctions from spreading back to the surface 122 or surface 120. Invarious embodiments a surface dopant concentration may range between1E19/cm³ and 1E20/cm³. The embodiments are not limited in this context.In order to achieve this dopant profile, a first introduction of dopantmay be performed to introduce a first amount of dopant, such as 5E13/cm²boron. The first introduction of dopant may be followed by a first drivein operation for 10 hours at 1300° C., forming a deep P/N junction awayfrom the surface 120 or surface 122. The embodiments are not limited inthis context. This first introduction of dopant and first drive inoperation may be followed by a second introduction of dopant to deposita second amount of dopant, such as boron. Subsequently a second drive inoperation may be performed at 1300° C. for one hour. The embodiments arenot limited in this context. In this manner, a high concentration ofdopant of at least 1E19/cm³ may be generated at the surface 120 andsurface 122, while maintaining a P/N junction 124 or P/N junction 126 ata target depth having the target dopant concentration.

In some embodiments the first doped region 104 and second doped region106 may be p-type regions and the first doped region 104 may have afirst dopant profile while the second p-type region 106 has a seconddopant profile matching the first dopant profile.

Moreover, in other embodiments opposed doped regions, such as firstdoped region 104 and second doped region 106 may be formed in amesa-type silicon device structure. FIG. 1B depicts a sidecross-sectional view of a further overvoltage protection device, shownas device 150, according to embodiments of the disclosure. The device150 shares common features with the device 100, save the mesa-typestructure defined by the body region 152 and first doped region 104 andsecond doped region 106. In this example, the device 150 may be formedby mesa etching the semiconductor substrate 112 and passivating the P/Njunction 124 and P/N junction 126 with a layer of glass patterned toform the passivation regions 154.

FIG. 2 depicts a device 200 arranged according to further embodiments ofthe disclosure. The device 200 includes a plurality of devices 100 thatare electrically connected in electrical series. In various embodiments,a device 100 may constitute a silicon die having a predetermined size.In this manner, the various die may be electrically connected togetherto generate a total breakdown voltage V_(T) of the device 200 that is asum of the individual breakdown voltages of the individual devices, suchas devices 100. In embodiments in which V_(B) is the same for all thedevices 100, then V_(T)=NV_(B). As an example, the device 200, whencomposed of 10 devices 100 that have an individual breakdown voltage of350 V, has a V_(T) of 3500V. This level of V_(T) may be useful toprotect circuits that operate at 3000 V, for example.

In a variant of the device 200 other devices may be constructed from aplurality of mesa-type devices, such as the device 150, arranged inelectrical series. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

Returning now to FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, the first doped region104 may differ from the second doped region 106. For example H1 maydiffer from H2, the dopant concentration at surface 120 may differ fromthe dopant concentration at surface 122, the dopant concentration at P/Njunction 124 may differ from the dopant concentration at P/N junction126, and so forth. Any of these circumstances generates an asymmetricaldevice where the breakdown voltage may vary in different direction orwhere the residual voltage may vary in different directions. Thisasymmetrical device structure may be useful for example, in cases of DCsupply transmission where different protection voltages may be specifiedunder fault conditions (supply reversal. In one example the asymmetricaldevice structure may be generated by a combination of masking anddeposition so that a relatively deeper junction is created on one sideor face of the substrate material and a relatively shallower junction iscreated on the opposing side or face of the substrate material, withcorresponding doping concentrations at the respective junctions togenerate different desired breakdown voltages at different voltagepolarities. The resulting device may have foldback in one or twoconduction directions in such an asymmetrically structured device.

As an example 1 for generating a VB of 250V, a silicon substrate (wafer)may be provided having an active dopant concentration of 3E15/cm³phosphorous, yielding a resistivity of 1.6 Ohm-cm. Boron deposition maybe performed at 1100° C. for 1 hour, generating resistance of 0.5Ohms/square on opposite surfaces of the silicon substrate. Subsequentlya drive in operation may be performed for 1 hour at 1300° C.

FIG. 3A depicts an exemplary dopant profile, shown as dopant profile300, of an overvoltage protection device that may be generated accordingto the recipe of example 1. In this example, the dopant profile 300exhibits a surface dopant concentration of nearly 3E20/cm³ while thedopant concentration decreases to a background level of 3E15/cm³ at adepth of 12 μm below the surface, corresponding to the location of a P/Njunction given the dopant level 302 (3E15/cm³) of the phosphorous in theN-type body region 304. In a symmetrical device, a profile that matchesthe dopant profile 300 in shape and absolute value, and forms a mirrorimage of the dopant profile 300 may be produced on the right side of thefigure. Depending upon the thickness of a substrate, the N-type bodyregion 304 may extend for 100 μm up to 1 mm between opposite regionscharacterized by dopant profile 300.

As an example 2 for generating a VB of 430 V, a silicon substrate(wafer) may be provided having an active dopant concentration of3E15/cm³ phosphorous, yielding a resistivity of 1.6 Ohm-cm. In oneoperation, boron may be implanted using boron-containing ions into thesilicon substrate using ion implantation at a dose of 5E13/cm².Subsequently a drive-in anneal may be performed at 1300 C for 10 hours.In a subsequent operation, boron may be deposited at 1100 degrees ° C.for 1 hr yielding a resistance of 0.5 Ohm/square. A subsequent drive inoperation may be performed for one hour at 1300° C.

FIG. 3B depicts a dopant profile 310 of an overvoltage protection devicethat may be generated according to the recipe of example 2. In thisexample, the dopant profile 310 exhibits a surface dopant concentrationof nearly 3E20/cm³ while the dopant concentration decreases to abackground level of 3E15/cm³ at a depth of 20 to 22 μm below thesurface, corresponding to the location of a P/N junction given thedopant level 302 (3E15/cm³) of the phosphorous in the N-type body region326. In this example, the dopant profile 310 has a surface portion 312decreasing rapidly to a concentration of approximately 3E16/cm³ at adepth of 10 μm below the surface. The dopant profile 310 also has asub-surface portion 314 adjacent the surface portion 322. Thesub-surface portion 324 exhibits a gradual drop between approximately3E16/cm³ at a depth of 10 μm below the surface, gradually decreasing tothe background level of 3E15/cm³ at a depth of 20-22 μm below thesurface.

In additional examples, an asymmetrical device may be generated in whicha 250V breakdown voltage is established in one direction by processingone surface of a silicon substrate in accordance with example 1, and byprocessing a second surface of the silicon substrate in accordance withexample 2 to generate a 450V breakdown voltage.

In further embodiments, an asymmetrical device may be generated byimplanting boron on one surface of a silicon substrate and by implantingphosphorous on the other surface of the silicon substrate. In oneparticular example a 1E15/cm2 dose of phosphorous may be implanted intoone surface of a silicon wafer that is also exposed to boron depositionperformed at 1100° C. for 1 hour, generating resistance of 0.5Ohms/square. FIG. 3C depicts an exemplary dopant profile, shown asdopant profile 320, resulting from such a procedure. The dopant profile320 includes a boron portion 322 representing a dopant profile of boron.As illustrated, the boron surface concentration decreases rapidly to aconcentration of approximately 5E16/cm³ at a depth of 10 μm below thesurface The dopant profile 320 also includes a phosphorous portion 324representing phosphorous dopant profile. The concentration ofphosphorous is increased at the P/N junction to a level greater than1E17/cm³, resulting in a lower breakdown voltage. In this example, thebreakdown voltage may be 20V. In some examples, such a profile may becombined with a boron profile such as in FIG. 3A or FIG. 3B on anopposite surface of a silicon substrate, to generate a 20V/250V or25V/430V asymmetrical device, respectively, where the voltage valuesrepresent respective breakdown voltages in opposite directions.

FIG. 4A depicts a current-voltage curve 400 exhibited by an overvoltageprotection device according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Thecurrent-voltage curve 400 represents the behavior when external voltageis applied between terminals connected to opposing p-doped regions in aPNP three layer device arranged similarly to the device 100. When anexternal voltage is applied, a first P/N junction becomes forward biasedwhile the second P/N junction becomes reverse biased. As illustrated,the current-voltage curve 400 exhibits a breakdown voltage shown asV_(BR) in this example. The current-voltage curve 400 also exhibits afoldback voltage shown as V_(FB). According to various embodiments ofthe disclosure, the exact V_(B) (V_(BR)) and amount of foldback may becontrolled by adjusting the opposing doping concentration at thebreakdown junction of a device, the depth of the breakdown junction andthe width of the base (substrate) region that makes up the effectivecollector, base and emitter of this PNP three layer device.

In order to illustrate certain advantages provided by the presentembodiments, by way of background, the relationship between BVceo andBVcbo (collector to base breakdown voltage of a common emitter bipolardevice with the base floating) for a bipolar transistor may be expressedas:

${BVceo} = {\sqrt[n]{1 - {\gamma\alpha}}{BVcbo}}$Where

α is the emitter efficiency

γ is the base transport factor

n is between 3 and 6 depending on the doping profiles

The emitter efficiency measures how many minority carriers are injectedinto the base region from the emitter, while the base transport factordescribes how many minority carriers reach the avalanching region at thecollector. These factors help determine the gain of the transistor in abi-directional transient voltage suppression (TVS) device. As can beseen from the BVceo equation, either or the base transport factor andemitter efficiency, or the two, are to be kept low to avoid making BVceomuch lower than BVcbo. At low currents, emitter efficiency is lowbecause minority carriers recombine in the emitter base (EB) depletionlayer. As the current increases, the amount of recombination in the EBdepletion layer saturates and transistor gain increases with current.This explains the observed reduction in BVceo as the device currentincreases. At even higher currents, the base region of the transistorbecomes conductivity modulated and the emitter efficiency eventuallyfalls again to give an increasing BVceo.

In order to avoid excessive foldback the current gain of a transistormay be kept low. High voltage TVS devices may use a low doped baseregion. The low doped base region may increase the emitter efficiencyand therefore the gain of the transistor. A different approach is neededto reduce transistor gain at these higher voltages.

In the present embodiments, the mechanism of minority carrier lifetimereduction may be employed to lower the base transport factor in abi-directional TVS device. In various embodiments, a lifetime-reductiondopant such as gold or platinum may be diffused into the wafer todecrease the number of minority carriers injected from the forwardbiased junction of the bi-directional TVS and arriving at the avalancheregion.

In other embodiments, another method to suppress minority carrierlifetime involves the use of electron irradiation after the complete setof diffusion processes are performed. An advantage of these embodimentsincludes reduced risk of contaminating other diffusion processesrequiring relatively higher silicon lifetime with heavy metals. Anotheradvantage is the ability to closely control the minority carrierlifetime at the end stages of substrate processing. By employing varyingamounts of electron radiation the minority carrier lifetime in asemiconductor such as silicon may be reduced to varying degrees, theminority carries injected form an emitter (such as a first p-typeregion) across a base (body region) may be adjusted, thus adjusting thegain of the transistor so that different amounts of foldback areobtained. Generally, higher transistor gain leads to higher degree offoldback. In various embodiments, the base (body region) of a threelayer device may be wider than conventional transistors, such as a basewidth of 100 μm or 1000 μm. By varying a dose of electrons, the foldbackand transistor gain in such a device may be varied to tailor thefoldback according to an application. Exemplary ranges of electronirradiation include 3 kGy to 30 kGy. The embodiments are not limited inthis context.

FIG. 4B depicts further exemplary current-voltage curves. In FIG. 4B thecurves may represent device response to a standard an industry standardimpulse 8/20 μs (lightning surge) waveform. The curve 410 represents thebehavior of a conventional avalanche diode, exhibiting no foldback. Thecurve 412 represents a calculated response in which gain is observed atrelatively low currents, with reducing gain as the current increases.The curve 414 is a calculated curve that exhibits gain at higher currentthat that or curve 412, while curve 418 is a calculated curve thatexhibits gain at even higher current values. The curve 418 showsexperimental data from an actual device fabricated according toembodiments of the disclosure. In this example, the voltage fluctuatesslightly while showing on average a near vertical conductioncharacteristic, meaning that voltage does not systematically vary withcurrent. As discussed above, devices exhibiting the behavior shown bythe different curves may be fabricated by varying the degree of electronirradiation to control the foldback behavior.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary process flow 500. At block 502 an N-typesemiconductor substrate is provided. In various embodiments, thesemiconductor substrate may be n-doped having a concentration of n-typedopants between 1E13/cm³ to 1E16/cm³. At block 504 a first p-type regionis formed on a first surface of the semiconductor substrate, where thefirst p-type region forms a P/N junction with a body region of thesemiconductor substrate. At block 504 a first p-type region is formed ona first surface of the semiconductor substrate such as silicon, wherethe first p-type region forms a P/N junction with a body region of thesemiconductor substrate. In some embodiments the first p-type region,second p-type region, or the two, may be doped at a concentration levelsof 1E18/cm³ to 1E21/cm³. In some embodiments, the surface concentrationof the first p-type region, second p-type region, or the two may bebetween 1E19/cm³ to 1E20/cm³. In various embodiments, the thickness ofthe p-type regions may vary between 5 μm to 30 μm. In some embodiments,the semiconductor substrate may have a thickness arranged to generate athickness of an n-type body region between the first p-type region andsecond p-type region of between 100 μm and 1000 μm. The n-type bodyregion may act as a base of a PNP transistor in which the thickness ofthe base in the direction of current flow, equivalent to the base width,is much greater than the thickness of the emitter or collector in thedirection of current flow.

FIG. 6 depicts another exemplary process flow 600. At block 602 a firstamount of p-type dopant is provided on an N-type semiconductorsubstrate. In various embodiments, the semiconductor substrate may ben-doped having a concentration of n-type dopants between 1E13/cm³ to1E16/cm³. At block 604 a first drive-in operation is performed at afirst temperature for a first duration. The first deposition and firstdrive-in operation may be adequate to generate a deep P/N junction at atarget depth within the N-type substrate. In various embodiments, thetarget depth for the deep P/N junction may vary between 5 μm to 30 μm.The first deposition and first drive in operation may generate a firstp-type peak dopant concentration at the surface of the semiconductordevice in the range of 1E17/cm³ to 1E22/cm³. At block 606 a secondamount of p-type dopant is provided on an N-type semiconductorsubstrate. At block 608 a second drive-in operation is performed at asecond temperature for a second duration. The second deposition andsecond drive-in operation may be adequate to increase a concentration atthe surface of the semiconductor device above the first concentration.In some examples, the second concentration may be greater than 1E19/cm³.

While the present embodiments have been disclosed with reference tocertain embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations and changes tothe described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphereand scope of the present disclosure, as defined in the appended claims.Accordingly, it is intended that the present embodiments not be limitedto the described embodiments, but that it has the full scope defined bythe language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An overvoltage protection device, comprising: asemiconductor substrate comprising an n-type body region; a first p-typeregion disposed in a first surface region of the semiconductorsubstrate, and forming a first P/N junction with the n-type body region,the first p-type region having a surface dopant concentration of3E20/cm³, and decreasing to a concentration of 3E15/cm³ at a depth of 12μm below the first surface region; and a second p-type region disposedin a second surface region of the semiconductor substrate opposite thefirst surface region, and forming a second P/N junction with the n-typebody region, the second p-type region having a surface dopantconcentration of 3E20/cm³, and decreasing to a concentration of 3E15/cm³at a depth of 12 μm below the second surface region; wherein the n-typebody region, first p-type region, and second p-type region form abreakdown device having a breakdown voltage of 250V in response to anexternal voltage being applied between the first surface region and thesecond surface region.
 2. The overvoltage protection device of claim 1,further comprising a first electrical contact on the first p-type regionand a second electrical contact on the second p-type region.
 3. Theovervoltage protection device of claim 1, wherein the n-type body regionhas an n-dopant concentration of 3E15/cm³.
 4. The overvoltage protectiondevice of claim 1, wherein the breakdown device has a foldback voltagegreater than 40V.
 5. The overvoltage protection device according toclaim 1, further comprising a first passivation region formed in thesemiconductor substrate and adjacent to the first P/N junction and then-type body region.
 6. The overvoltage protection device according toclaim 5, further comprising a second passivation region formed in thesemiconductor substrate and adjacent to the second P/N junction and then-type body region.
 7. An overvoltage protection device, comprising: asemiconductor substrate comprising an n-type body region; a first p-typeregion disposed in a first surface region of the semiconductorsubstrate, and forming a first P/N junction with the n-type body region,the first p-type region having a surface dopant concentration of3E20/cm³, and decreasing to a concentration of 3E15/cm³ at a depth of20-22 μm below the first surface region; and a second p-type regiondisposed in a second surface region of the semiconductor substrateopposite the first surface region, and forming a second P/N junctionwith the n-type body region, the second p-type region having a surfacedopant concentration of 3E20/cm³, and decreasing to a concentration of3E15/cm³ at a depth of 20-22 μm below the second surface region; whereinthe n-type body region, first p-type region, and second p-type regionfrom a breakdown device having a breakdown voltage of 430V in responseto an external voltage being applied between the first surface regionand the second surface region.
 8. The overvoltage protection deviceaccording to claim 7, further comprising a first passivation regionformed in the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to the first P/Njunction and the n-type body region.
 9. The overvoltage protectiondevice according to claim 8, further comprising a second passivationregion formed in the semiconductor substrate and adjacent to the secondP/N junction and the n-type body region.
 10. The overvoltage protectiondevice of claim 7, further comprising a first electrical contact on thefirst p-type region and a second electrical contact on the second p-typeregion.
 11. The overvoltage protection device of claim 7, wherein then-type body region has an n-dopant concentration of 3E15/cm³.
 12. Theovervoltage protection device of claim 7, wherein the breakdown devicehas a foldback voltage greater than 40V.
 13. An overvoltage protectiondevice, comprising: a plurality of semiconductor die; and at least oneelectrical connection between a first semiconductor die and secondsemiconductor die, wherein the plurality of semiconductor die areconnected in electrical series, wherein at least one semiconductor dieof the plurality of semiconductor die comprises: an n-type body region;a first p-type region formed in a substrate of the at least onesemiconductor die and near a first surface region of the at least onesemiconductor die, and forming a first P/N junction with the n-type bodyregion, the first p-type region having a surface dopant concentration of3E20/cm³, and decreasing to a concentration of 3E15/cm³ at a depth of 12μm below the first surface region; a second p-type region formed in thesubstrate of the at least one semiconductor die and near a secondsurface region of the at least one semiconductor die opposite the firstsurface region, and forming a second P/N junction with the n-type bodyregion, the second p-type region having a surface dopant concentrationof 3E20/cm³, and decreasing to a concentration of 3E15/cm³ at a depth of12 μm below the second surface region; and wherein the n-type bodyregion, first p-type region, and second p-type region from a breakdowndevice having a breakdown voltage of 250V in response to an externalvoltage being applied between the first surface region and the secondsurface region.
 14. The overvoltage protection device of claim 13,wherein the n-type body region has an n-dopant concentration of3E15/cm³.
 15. The overvoltage protection device of claim 13, wherein thebreakdown device has a foldback voltage greater than 100V.
 16. Theovervoltage protection device according to claim 13, further comprisinga first passivation region formed in the substrate and adjacent to thefirst P/N junction and the n-type body region.
 17. The overvoltageprotection device according to claim 16, further comprising a secondpassivation region formed in the substrate and adjacent to the secondP/N junction and the n-type body region.
 18. An overvoltage protectiondevice, comprising: a plurality of semiconductor die; and at least oneelectrical connection between a first semiconductor die and secondsemiconductor die, wherein the plurality of semiconductor die areconnected in electrical series, wherein at least one semiconductor dieof the plurality of semiconductor die comprises: an n-type body region;a first p-type region formed in a substrate of the at least onesemiconductor die and near a first surface region of the at least onesemiconductor die, and forming a first P/N junction with the n-type bodyregion, the first p-type region having a surface dopant concentration of3E20/cm³, and decreasing to a concentration of 3E15/cm³ at a depth of20-22 μm below the first surface region; a second p-type region formedin the substrate of the at least one semiconductor die and near a secondsurface region of the at least one semiconductor die opposite the firstsurface region, and forming a second P/N junction with the n-type bodyregion, the second p-type region having a surface dopant concentrationof 3E20/cm³, and decreasing to a concentration of 3E15/cm³ at a depth of20-22 μm below the second surface region; and wherein the n-type bodyregion, first p-type region, and second p-type region form a breakdowndevice having a breakdown voltage of 430V in response to an externalvoltage being applied between the first surface region and the secondsurface region.
 19. The overvoltage protection device according to claim18, further comprising a first passivation region formed in thesubstrate and adjacent to the first P/N junction and the n-type bodyregion.
 20. The overvoltage protection device according to claim 19,further comprising a second passivation region formed in the substrateand adjacent to the second P/N junction and the n-type body region. 21.The overvoltage protection device of claim 18, wherein the n-type bodyregion has an n-dopant concentration of 3E15/cm³.
 22. The overvoltageprotection device of claim 18, wherein the breakdown device has afoldback voltage greater than 100V.